I am Jewish and the National Prayer Breakfast is an assembly of mostly Christians, with the express purpose of giving people “understanding, confidence and hope for the future through a deepening relationship with Jesus.”...Lisa also reflected on the president's appearance and how he seemed a bit defensive. I echo her sentiments about earnest, personal, heartfelt communication about God. I wouldn't blog if I didn't :)
Imagine my surprise, then, when I found myself moved nearly to tears, not once or twice but several times during the breakfast...
The oddball highlight of the morning, though, was offered by Dr. Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project, believer in Christ and world-famous geneticist. In his keynote speech, Collins gave a passionate defense of the intertwining of faith and science, insisting that one point of view does not automatically negate the other. Then, as punctuation, the scientist pulled out an acoustic guitar, and like a wacky nursery school teacher, sang a hymn that glorified human wisdom and knowledge.
No one but a geek, as he called himself, could have pulled off such a stunt without drawing the derision of the crowd. But Collins is a geek and soon all 3,400 guests – from the Ukraine, Senegal, Belize, Texas, Virginia, and Brooklyn – were singing along. In that moment I saw what I wish the people trapped on both sides of the culture wars could see: That there is a time and place for talking about God in an earnest, personal, heartfelt way; that such talk is not, in itself, threatening or loaded; and that, if done honestly, with intelligence, humor and humility, can inspire people to feel the miracle—and the responsibilities—of human existence. Read more here.
National Prayer Breakfast
A few excerpts from Lisa Miller, an editor at the Washingtom Post, on her experience at this year's National Prayer Breakfast:
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That was very interesting. I like Lisa! And I agree on your last statement.
ReplyDeleteAnd I like this President. I don't agree with him all the time, but I like him. I think he seems defensive and tense about religion because, possibly, he's not quite as "far along" in faith as religious people would like to believe, and he's not comfortable pretending to a faith he doesn't yet possess.
ReplyDeleteClinton, on the other hand, seemed to be a believer, clapped and sang and teared up on cue, but his life says otherwise (his latest that makes me steam is "I may have things that were not legally accurate.")
Is the jury still out on Laura? Again, a really nice person, but faithful? I don't know. She is said to be quietly pro-abortion, which doesn't bode too well.
Jeb seems to be a far more committed Christian, and is more comfortable publicly expressing his faith in a natural way.
Thanks for the feedback Therese. I googled Laura Bush & abortion and came up with this from a 2005 piece by the Washington Post:
ReplyDelete"During the 2000 presidential campaign, Barbara Bush said the Republican Party should drop an anti-abortion plank from its national platform. ... The women closest to the president support abortion rights. His mother, his wife and one of his most trusted advisors, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, all have stated that they believe Roe v. Wade should not be overturned.